There are quite a few aftermarket grip options for the AK on the market – but US Palm probably makes the best one in my opinion. It is almost the perfect synergy between ergonomic feel and keep-it-simple utility. As an airsofter, I know I am not alone for having wanted a version to fit my airsoft gun for years now. Fortunately, such an option now exists and is produced by PTS Syndicate who are renown for their high quality licensed versions of many famous firearms brands.
I wanted to get at least one or two games in before giving this grip a thorough review. Some things tend to look good on paper, or in the packaging, but in actual field use is where it will make it or break it.
Overall design of the grip mimics the real steel version very closely and it’s not hard to spot the obvious heritage from the original Tango Down grips. It’s a little longer than the real one, and a little wider – a design concession made to accommodate the Ver. 3 motor cage. Despite the slightly increased dimensions, it’s not uncomfortable or too large of a grip. It’s a vast improvement over many stock AK grips out there, especially the ungainly and obese faux wood versions found on many G&G, Echo 1’s, etc. Texturing is also very close to the real steel version as well. Maybe not as crisp feeling, but you’d be hard pressed to really complain about the very minor difference. In a lot of ways its similar to what is found on the Magpul MVG vertical foregrips, minus the micro-logo’s, so it makes a nice match-up.
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Color wise, black is black is black. The FDE version most closely approximates the FDE as found on Magpul P-Mags. The FDE versions look particularly cool on the PTS Beta Project AK’s and are a great addition over the original SAW style grips (which scream CRAPCO, in my opinion.)
This grip is designed to fit most version 3 AK designs out there such as: Real Sword, VFC, LCT, ASP, Beta Project, CA, Cyma, etc. It comes complete with two different sized screws for correct attachment to your motor cage. My experience has been that the long screw is the one most often needed for most guns.
The underside of the grip has a nice vented heat sink, not altogether different from the one PTS uses on their Magpul MOE line of grips. This is probably my favorite feature of the grip besides the improved ergonomic feel. A typical AK grip can get heated up rather quickly, especially during long strings of automatic fire with a LiPO. During testing, I made a concerted effort to push my typical trigger response a little in an effort to see how well this grip worked at keeping the motor cool. During the course of the day I burned through nearly 4,000 BB’s, which is a lot more than I typically use. Despite a lot of heavy dumps on full auto and some heavy pounding on the semi-auto side of things, the grip and the motor stayed relatively cool all day long.
I have noted that most installations require a tiny bit of filing. On the right side of the grip you will see a small tab that is designed to insert into the receiver of the gun. In some cases this tab will push up on the internal selector gears, thus preventing you from properly setting the rifle on safe. This can be fixed by simply taking a small file and giving it about a minute of attention. You don’t need to remove the tab, just thin it down a little so it clears the selector gear and allows free movement.
Again, most guns seem to require this mod. I believe it’s a design oversight on the part of PTS actually, and a rather unfortunate one. The Real Sword polymer grips – which are the closest analogous example to the US Palm grip, for example, use tabs on the front of the grip and they do not interfere with the selector gears. I suspect future revisions will have the placement of the tabs changed. While you can install the grip as-is, and it will work just fine (the design of the selector gears is such that it doesn’t have to be 100% clicked into place to function on safe), it just isn’t aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, there may exist the potential for someone who is unfamiliar with the problem to try and force the selector lever into place thus damaging either the grip or the selector gears. So lesson being: see if the grip fits first, then file accordingly.
In concluding this review, I would say that I am very happy with these grips. I plan to transition all my AK’s over to them (much like my real steel), except for the stuff I want to keep strictly old-school. They feel great, they look great, and they keep the motor cool.
